Water skiing, wake boarding, wake surfing, slalom skiing, and the like can be difficult for beginners to master. Each sport relies on the participant traveling at a high speed to cause the ski(s), board, or feet to glide on the water, but the participant must inherently start from a still position. The still position traditionally entails a “deep water start,” in which the skier/rider may be mostly submerged for a long period before the tow boat begins to pull the participant via the tow rope. For new participants, the deep water start may be a barrier to participation due to a beginner's natural inability to manage and coordinate the water skis, wake board, or surf board during the initial pull of the rope.
For example, the ability to bend or flex one's legs into a position that allows the rider to be in the proper position for a deep water start may be an impediment to learning. The transition from still to gliding on the water requires physical strength, endurance, and balance, and lack of sufficient strength or coordination may also impede beginners' success. Participants who lack these may be injured and/or may fall before a successful transition from being at rest to planing or gliding on the water. Further, repeated attempts are almost always necessary for a beginner to obtain the kinesthetic sense and muscle memory required to smoothly get up out of the water.
Unfortunately, an uncoordinated attempt at transitioning can result in frustration and/or the aforementioned injury. Past injuries have included pulled, torn, or ruptured musculature, including back muscles, biceps, and hamstrings, for example. These injuries may be aggravated or be more likely when the participant is immersed in cold water, which negatively impacts flexibility and the ability of the muscles to respond well to the force of being pulled by the tow boat.
Accordingly, learning to transition from the deep water start to gliding on the water, even for those with the requisite physical ability or those who are natural “quick studies,” can be challenging, injurious, frustrating, and/or time-consuming. A beginner's typical inability to manage and coordinate the water skis, wake board, or surf board while in the water before and during the initial pull of the rope impacts the participant's motivation to continue the learning process. Frustration may even result merely from being in the water for an extended length of time.
Past attempts at such a solution have several issues. One past attempt is composed of solid material, making the device heavy and unwieldy. It also relies on a single inclined seat to create the necessary force on the device, increasing the risk of injury and detracting from the comfort and functionality for the user. Another past attempt relies on a construction that causes heightened hydrodynamic drag, giving the user an inaccurate perception of the forces required to ski without the device. The foregoing devices also include significant limitations on the weight of a rider that may be accommodated (and certainly would not accommodate a rider and an instructor seated together). Finally, many prior attempts are limited to water skiing and have no provision for any other aquatic sport such as wakeboarding (the fastest growing surface water sport). These are just some of the issues with previous attempts which are overcome by the present invention.